Android Device Manager now lets you remotely lock a missing phone or tablet

Good news for forgetful Android owners: Android Device Manager now has a remote lock function. As long as your missing device is connected to some sort of network, this allows you to instantly lock it down no matter where you are.

Android Device Manager is part of the Google Play services. So as long as you are logged into your Google account on your phone or tablet, you can log in to the Device Manager website to locate your missing device on a map. In the meantime, if you want to protect it prying eyes, all you have to do is click on the new Lock feature.

No matter how your device is currently protected, clicking Lock will override it. You’ll have to choose a new password upon submitting the request, which is what you’ll use to unlock the device when you recover it.

Google was a couple of years late to the game when it released Android Device Manager, but it’s nice to see it playing catch up so quickly. Apple has already had a Lost Mode for its devices since iOS 6. With iOS 7 it introduced Activation Lock, which lets you remotely toggle a missing device to require your Apple ID and password be entered before using it again.